Cover with plastic film, pressing against the surface of the milk-flour mixture to ensure it doesn’t form a skin. Loafs of Milk bread photographed at Breadbelly on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. San Francisco chefs find nostalgia in Japanese milk bread, Photo: Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle. Some people call it snow bread because the flour is dusting on top of the dough and it looks like snow on the bread. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain. Japanese milk bread — also called shokupan — is not just ordinary white bread. Baker Tina Nguyen places a rolled milk bread dough onto a baking sheet at Breadbelly on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Classic Japanese Milk Bread recipe made with cream, milk, and an extra special something that makes it super soft, fluffy, and moist. salt, 4g. Look at U-Haul traffic, California’s EDD freezes many people’s unemployment benefits to combat fraud, Why CO2 monitors and indoor ventilation may be a key to curb COVID spread, S.F. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker. “I think white bread is kind of taboo in the Bay Area food scene,” said Anthony Strong, chef-owner of Prairie in the Mission. Milk bread starts with a Tangzhong, which is a warm flour, milk and water paste. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens into the consistency of mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes. The sandwiches will make their debut at a pop-up this Sunday, December 6, from noon until whenever they sell out, at Masabaga in downtown Oakland. What's the origin story of Hokkaido milk bread? 561 Valencia St., San Francisco. Japanese Milk Bread {Easy White Bread} Soft, pillowy Japanese Milk Bread is perfect for slicing and toasting or serving as sandwiches. Heat over … My bread maker takes 45 minutes. What is shokupan or Japanese milk bread? It starts with tangzhong, a Chinese roux-like paste, that gives the dough strength and an unusually long shelf life. Japanese milk bread satisfied in a similar way, and several recipe reformulations later, she brought it to Breadbelly as the star of the bakery’s best-selling item: toast slathered with kaya, the Singaporean coconut jam. milk, 22g. Previously, she served as a reporter for Eater SF, managing editor at the East Bay Express, and arts & culture editor at the Sacramento News & Review. What is Japanese milk bread? Scaling the ingredients is quite straightforward. 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The pop-up will also feature the black curry from Ono’s forthcoming Japanese curry restaurant, Dela Curo. 415-349-0969 or www.breadbellysf.com. Kneaded with milk, butter and eggs, the resulting loaf manages to taste delicate and rich at the same time, with a soft, fluffy texture and subtle sweetness. “We didn’t eat crusty bread back home,” she said. Shokupan is a traditional milk bread in Japan and literally means “food bread” or “eating bread.”While the popularity of bread in Japan has had a complicated and long history, milk bread or fluffy white bread in the style of Pullman loaves weren’t really popularized or even introduced until American soldiers came to Japan in the 20 th century. One of the great joys of Japan’s convenience store culture — among the onigiri, the canned coffee, and the dozens of varieties of instant noodles — is the fact that you can walk into any random 7-Eleven and find a refrigerated case full of tasty, convenient grab-and-go sandwiches that’ll put many American delis to shame. Make the starter: In a small heavy pot, whisk flour, milk and 1/2 cup water (120 milliliters) together … The only thing might be a … Before opening Breadbelly, Campecino-Wong was searching for an Asian bread to make for herself. “I feel a little guilty eating it sometimes. ‘This week is critical’. Pastry chef Sara Figueiredo of Craftsman & Wolves said San Francisco’s high Asian population means a lot of interest in Asian baked goods like milk bread. For now, Ono is mostly using fresh strawberries for the sandwiches, but he also plans to make versions with mangos, kiwis, and more seasonal fruits. Take a loaf ($6) home or enjoy shokupan toast ($6), a katsu sando ($16) or Japanese egg salad sandwich ($12) at the cafe. She grew up in a Filipino household eating the sweet, soft rolls known as pandesal. “I’m a dude from the Midwest who grew up on white bread,” he said. Japanese milk bread, aka Hokkaido milk bread (in Japanese it’s called shokupan 食パン), is the softest and fluffiest bread that I have ever made. B-Dama’s chef wants customers to savor the silky texture of Japan’s most popular milk bread. Hokkaido is a prefecture in Japan famous for their rich and creamy milk. More Bay Area restaurants are protesting to bring back outdoor dining, Hundreds gather as Cliff House’s sign comes down, marking the official closure of iconic S.F. Both the curry and the sandwiches will also be available in January at the Berkeley Bowl West Cafe, where B-Dama has been operating for the past several months. Egg salad is ready for its close-up. Slices of milk bread for the grilled cheese sandwich are seen inside the Breadbelly kitchen on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Milk bead hugs a wobbly spinach frittata for the breakfast sandwich ($10), and the shiny loaves ($8.50) are popular on their own. #bread … For Japanese pastry chefs like Yui, milk bread was all she knew growing up. The fruit sandwiches are also mild-flavored enough to allow customers to really taste the bread, Ono says. (Bread ‘n Chu, in SF’s Richmond District, is one of the only other local spots that routinely offers a version.). restaurant, S.F. This recipe walks you through every step so you can enjoy this light white bread at home. “It’s nice to have another option in a repertoire so you’re not stuck with just French or European-style doughs.”. Within just the past year, several spots have opened specializing in Japanese sandwiches that use the bread with crispy pork katsu or creamy egg salad. bread flour, 203g (I used half KAF bread flour and half KAF AP flour for a balance of chewiness and volume) sugar, 33g. Japanese Milk Bread Dinner Rolls deserve butter and nothing less. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to make the fluffiest, yummiest bread ever! It has such a tender crumb, almost cloud like! “Imagine brioche and Texas toast combined together,” said Mikiko Yui, pastry chef at Stonemill Matcha in the Mission District, by email from Japan. Japanese milk bread is probably the lightest, fluffiest, most tender bread you'll come across. And at Sundo, the main point of distinction will be the bread itself: Pasco brand choujuku pan, which, according to Ono, has been Japan’s best-selling white bread for a number of years. Flour – 4 tablespoons; Water – 6 tablespoons; Milk – 6 tablespoons; For the dough. Just after World War II, it was a symbol of the American Occupation and a poor substitute for white rice. butter, 10g, softened. “A lot of people just connect to having something like milk bread that brings back childhood memories,” she said. - final dough. “Shokupan is like exactly what I wished American white bread could be.”, Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Legend has it that milk bread may have been actually invented by British baker Robert Clarke, who opened Yokohama Bakery in Japan back in 1862. It’s sturdy enough to stand up to a burger but also light enough to allow accompanying ingredients to shine. Chefs in San Francisco, sourdough’s spiritual home, have particularly taken to shokupan for dishes that have a … Add the yeast mixture, 1/3 cup heavy cream, and 1 of the large eggs to the cooled … But that nostalgia also hits chefs like Strong, who don’t have an Asian background. Gallo finalizes $810 million purchase from Constellation, one of the biggest... Concord’s Mel’s Diner closes, and other restaurant closures, In the Bay Area, casinos still offer on-site dining as lockdown continues. Combine flour with water and milk and whisk together in a saucepan and whisk together. Japanese Milk Bread Is Coming for Your Lunch. Dry yeast – 1 tablespoon Chinatown’s 100-year-old Far East Cafe postpones closure, How big was San Francisco’s pandemic exodus? Mission bakery Craftsman & Wolves started making an artisanal version with a shiny deep amber crust in 2014. ... and plans to start making his own milk bread … It can even be pulled apart into flaky layers. For now, Ono believes he’ll be the only one on the West Coast selling it — both as part of the sandwiches and by the package, including an extra-thick-cut version that’s especially good for making toast. Shipped frozen, the choujuku pan is made with a patented aging process that gives it a texture that’s even silkier and fluffier than other Japanese milk breads (which are already known for their extreme fluffiness.) And that’s why the homemade dog bun is worth your effort and time. Japanese milk bread is called Hokkaido bread. Stays fresh for days longer than regular bread. parolee accused of killing pedestrians faced life sentence in earlier case, but got five years, Coronavirus live updates: 60 now infected at Kaiser San Jose following deadly incident possibly linked to Christmas costume, Airbnb is asking guests for a new requirement before booking stays in California during pandemic, California cases jump to over 70,000 in a day as state braces for post-holiday surge. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the … But the idea, again, is for customers to relish the texture and flavor of the bread itself. In the land of sourdough, heavy loaves of dense Tartine Bakery bread and naturally fermented everything, milk bread might seem like a surprising choice for San Francisco chefs. 415-913-7713 or www.craftsman-wolves.com. Measure out remaining ingredients (flour, yeast, milk… If your bread maker doesn't have an automatic dispenser, add yeast 3 minutes after mixing starts. Therefore unlike store bought hot dog buns, these Japanese hot dog buns are soft yet a structured bread. This bread is so delicious and stays soft for a few days, just wrap it up and leave at room temperature. Scaling all the ingredients. bread flour, 41g. Loaves ($8) are baked daily.